Site of Huan City

Site of Huan City

The Site of Huan City is a cultural relic protection unit of Jining City.

The Site of Huan City is located in Huan Town, Weishan County, Shandong Province, extending westward to Xicun Village and Daizhuang Village. To the west of Daizhuang Village, there are numerous stone-chambered tombs and hollow-brick tombs. Among the unearthed relics is a bronze double-edged spear with intricate line engravings, dating back to the late Shang Dynasty. The site boasts rich cultural significance, and traces of ancient city walls have also been discovered behind the town government building.

Huan City is an emerging hub of the coal industry, situated on the shores of Weishan Lake and the eastern bank of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It lies 10 kilometers south of Xiadian, the county seat of Weishan, 30 kilometers east of Tengzhou City, and faces the city of Pei in Jiangsu Province across the lake to the west. Within a 10-kilometer radius of Huan City, there are 15 large and medium-sized coal mines with an annual production capacity of over 10 million tons, earning it the nickname "Coal City" and making it one of China's key energy bases.

Huan City boasts a long and glorious history and culture. As early as the era of the Five Emperors (circa 23rd century BC), it was already an important town in southern Shandong. Initially known as (Upper) Pi. The 12th-generation descendant of the Yellow Emperor and Marquis of Xue, Xizhong, once relocated the capital of the State of Xue here. The 23rd-generation descendant of the Yellow Emperor and the 12th-generation descendant of Xizhong, Tang’s Left Prime Minister Zhonghui, governed from this place and renamed Upper Pi to Zhonghui City. During the Warring States period, in the 35th year of King Wei of Qi (322 BC), his youngest son Tian Ying was enfeoffed in Xue to oversee Zhonghui City. Tian Wen, also known as Mengchang Jun, one of the Four Lords of the Warring States and Tian Ying’s successor, inherited the title. Among Tian Wen’s retainers, Feng Changyi achieved two notable feats: first, the “Burning of Debt Contracts to Buy Righteousness,” and second, persuading the Kings of Qin and Qi to restore Mengchang Jun to power. In gratitude, Mengchang Jun granted Zhonghui City to Feng as his fief. Feng later took the name Chao (based on a homophone), and modern simplification has rendered it as Huan. In the second year of Empress Lü’s reign during the Western Han Dynasty (186 BC), the son of King Yuan of Chu, Yingke, was enfeoffed as Marquis of Upper Pi.

Huan City is not only a historic ancient town but also an emerging coal city. It possesses extremely rich underground coal resources, with proven geological reserves of 2,118 million tons. The coal seams are thick, lie shallow, and are easy to mine. Moreover, the coal is of high quality, with a high calorific value (typically between 7,000–7,500 kcal per kilogram), low ash content (less than 13%), and low sulfur content, making it a rare “fine fuel” for the metallurgical industry. Since 1970, the state has built or expanded 15 large and medium-sized coal mines in the Huan City area, bringing the current annual production capacity to over 10 million tons. These are transported continuously to provinces such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Shanghai via tugboat convoys on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, as well as the Beijing-Shanghai Railway and National Highway 104. The city enjoys well-developed transportation infrastructure. Ships passing through the Grand Canal can load cargo in Huan City and travel directly to dozens of ports in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. The town has built dozens of ports and docks along the canal (the Grand Canal), with an annual throughput capacity of over 5 million tons. The Jining-Weishan and Tengzhou-Pei County highways intersect in the urban area, and the secondary lake control gate to the west of the town is known as “one bridge dividing two provinces, one mile connecting three counties.” Huan City serves as a strategic gateway from southern Shandong to northern Jiangsu, Henan, and Anhui, with daily vehicle traffic exceeding 3,000 trips.

Huan City’s economy is developing rapidly. With the mining of surrounding coal mines, the secondary and tertiary industries characteristic of a coal city have seen unprecedented growth. Coal mining has driven the development of the transport sector, giving rise to more than 100 enterprises serving coal extraction, including cement plants, coal coking factories, construction and installation companies, coal washing plants, coal machinery plants, commercial businesses, and food and service industries, all thriving in prosperity. This growth has also spurred the development of village-run enterprises and private businesses in surrounding villages. Urban construction in the city has advanced by leaps and bounds. Notable facilities include a well-built theater, hospital, school, Wanghu Tower shopping mall, finance and telecommunications buildings, and an expanded farmers’ market. Today, the urban area features rows of high-rises, bustling shops, wide streets, and a brand-new coal city has emerged before our eyes. Huan City is blessed with both natural beauty and talented people. This emerging coal city, a pearl by the ancient canal, will shine even more brilliantly.

Huan Town: Huan Town is located in the central part of Weishan County, on the eastern shore of Zhaoyang Lake, and is one of the important transportation hubs in southwestern Shandong. Ten li to the west, the Secondary Dam Control Gate neighbors Pei County in Jiangsu Province, while five li to the east borders Zaozhuang City, hence the saying “one bridge divides two provinces, ten li connects three counties.” The town is irregularly diamond-shaped, stretching 15 li from southeast to northwest and 10 li from east to west, covering a total area of 133.4 square kilometers. It administers 8 management areas and 77 administrative villages, with a total population of 96,000 and cultivated land area of 65,000 mu. There are eight coal mines under provincial, municipal, and county jurisdiction within the town’s territory, with 10 production shafts... More detailed information about Huan Town ++

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Units in Jining City